Chimbote tʃimˈbote is the largest city in the
Ancash RegionAncash is a region in northern Peru. It is bordered by the La Libertad region on the north, the Huánuco and Pasco regions on the east, the Lima region on the south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west. Its capital is the city of Huaraz, and its largest city and port is Chimbote...
of
PeruPeru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
, and the capital of both
Santa ProvinceThe Santa Province is one of twenty provinces of the Ancash Region in Peru.The city and port of Santa are located in the large, fertile valleys of the Santa and Lacramarca rivers. These valleys have extensive sown plains with cotton, rice, sugar and nutritional products...
and
Chimbote DistrictChimbote District is one of nine districts of the province Santa in Peru.-References:...
.
The city is located on the coast in Chimbote Bay, south of
TrujilloTrujillo, in northwestern Peru, is the capital of the La Libertad Region, and the third largest city in Peru. The urban area has 811,979 inhabitants and is an economic hub in northern Peru...
and 420 kilometres (261 mi) north of Lima on the North Pan-American highway. It is the start of a chain of important cities like
TrujilloTrujillo, in northwestern Peru, is the capital of the La Libertad Region, and the third largest city in Peru. The urban area has 811,979 inhabitants and is an economic hub in northern Peru...
,
ChiclayoChiclayo is the capital city of the Lambayeque region in northern Peru. It is located 13 kilometers inland from the Pacific coast and 770 kilometers from the nation's capital, Lima...
and
PiuraPiura is a city in northwestern Peru. It is the capital of the Piura Region and the Piura Province. The population is 377,496.It was here that Spanish Conqueror Francisco Pizarro founded the third Spanish city in South America and first in Peru, San Miguel de Piura, in July 1532...
. The advantages of this geographic location made Chimbote into a transshipment junction for the
Santa RiverThe Santa River is a river in the South American Andes cordillera in the Ancash Region of northwest central Peru.-River Course:Laguna Conococha, at an altitude of 4050 m above sea level and at , is considered the headwaters of the Rio Santa. Laguna Conococha itself is fed by small streams from the...
valley.
History
In 1835, when General
Santa CruzAndrés de Santa Cruz y Calahumana was President of Peru and Bolivia...
granted Chimbote's first official acknowledgement, Chimbote was a village of fishermen with a population of no more than 800.
In 1871, an agreement was made with
Henry MeiggsHenry Meiggs , was a promoter/entrepreneur and railroad builder. He was born in Catskill, New York. He came to New York City in 1835 and began a lumber business, but was ruined by the Panic of 1837. He restarted his business, this time in Brooklyn, but again met with failure...
to build a railroad towards the interior of the country. Chimbote was classified as a
portA port is a location on a coast or shore containing one or more harbors where ships can dock and transfer people or cargo to or from land....
, even though its population remained around 1,000. The opening of the Pan-American Highway created easy access to Lima in the 1930s.
In 1940, Chimbote was still a small fishing port, with only 2,400 inhabitants in an urbanized area of 80 ha (0.8 km²; 0.308881726874028 sq mi). In 1943, the government created the Corporación Peruana del Santa (Peruvian Corporation of Santa). This entity assumed ownership of the railroad, made improvements to the
portA port is a location on a coast or shore containing one or more harbors where ships can dock and transfer people or cargo to or from land....
, and began work on a hydroelectric power station on the Río Santa (in the
Cañón del PatoCañón del Pato is on the Rio Santa at the north end of the Callejón de Huaylas in north-central Peru. The mostly rocky canyon walls are too steep and arid for cultivation, and in only a few places are the slopes of the imposingly rugged canyon suitable even for grazing domestic animals...
[Duck Canyon] in
HuallancaHuallanca is a district of the province of Bolognesi, in the Ancash Region of Peru.-Time Preinca:Archaeological rest in places next to Huallanca Exist that are testimonies of the presence of inhabitants of that time are located in the heights of the Chaqpa hill, in Chaupiloma, pertaining to the...
). The first stage of the power station was inaugurated in 1958; also that year, an iron and steel plant was built.
[The iron and steel plant is currently known as Empresa Siderúrgica del Perú S.A.A.] By 1943, the first companies dedicated to the extraction of liver from the
Pacific bonitoPacific bonito, Sarda chiliensis lineolata, is a marine species of bonito that is a game fighter but which is not highly thought of as a food fish....
fish arrived. This liver was sold for a high price abroad due to World War II.
Climate
Chimbote has a variable but warm climate. On average, the warmest month is February with temperatures a little over 26 °C (79 °F). September is considered the average coolest month, at around 13 °C (55 °F). The annual average temperature ranges between 13 to 28 °C (55.4 to 82.4 F).
The city gets little to no precipitation; however, thick fog predominates through the months of May to November, usually overnight. Rainfall usually comes in February.
Population
A large number of people migrated to Chimbote in the early 1970s. By that time, less than 5 percent of the people from Chimbote would truly consider themselves native; between 1960 and 1970, Chimbote's population multiplied by more than a hundred times. In 1900, the population of the port was 1,400; after 1970, it was 170,000. As of 2005, its population was 324,398.
The influx of residents was closely bound to the creation of the Corporación Peruana del Santa, to the start and development of the
fishingFishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
industry, and to the establishment of the iron and steel plant ("Siderperu"). Together, these multiplied the commercial and productive activities of the port. At the beginning of 1996, as
PeruPeru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
vian public companies were privatized, the Peruvian-Brazilian company Acerco bought Siderperu.
Districts and Neighborhoods
The city of Chimbote, being a district itself, comprises 7 more districts: Santa, Coishco, Samanco, Nepeña, Macate, Moro, Cáceres del Perú, and Nuevo Chimbote. The neighborhoods of El Barrio de Acero, Barrio Bolivar, El Progreso, Miraflores Alto and Miraflores Bajo surround Chimbote.
Economy
During the 1970s, the El Niño climate pattern, an
earthquakeAn earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. The seismicity, seismism or seismic activity of an area refers to the frequency, type and size of earthquakes experienced over a period of time...
, and overfishing drastically affected the fishing industry, and restrictions were imposed to ensure its survival. More than 75 percent of Peru's fishing industry is based in Chimbote.
Chimbote is the largest fishing port in Peru. Chimbote has more than 30 fish factories. Chimbote's active
commerceWhile business refers to the value-creating activities of an organization for profit, commerce means the whole system of an economy that constitutes an environment for business. The system includes legal, economic, political, social, cultural, and technological systems that are in operation in any...
and its diversified industrial development are characteristic of the city. Its population includes workers who have experience in
fishingFishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
, naval,
canningCanning is a method of preserving food in which the food contents are processed and sealed in an airtight container. Canning provides a typical shelf life ranging from one to five years, although under specific circumstances a freeze-dried canned product, such as canned, dried lentils, can last as...
, and the iron-and-steel industry.
Chimbote also has beaches that support tourism.
The Peruvian anchoveta "Boom"
Shortly after the fish canning industry declined, the industrialization of
anchovetaThe Peruvian anchoveta is a fish of the anchovy family, Engraulidae.Anchoveta are pelagic fish in the southeastern Pacific Ocean, and are regularly caught on the coasts of Peru, and Chile. They live for up to 4 years, reaching 20 cm, with recruitment occurring after only about 6 months when...
fishing peaked. This attracted people from all over Peru, due to the high wages paid in the fishing industry at the time, fueling Chimbote's suburban growth. The strong migratory wave toward the city increased because of the serious crisis of the countryside in the 1960s, particularly in Ancash,
CajamarcaCajamarca may refer to:Colombia*Cajamarca, Tolima a town and municipality in Tolima DepartmentPeru* Cajamarca, city in Peru.* Cajamarca District, district in the Cajamarca province.* Cajamarca Province, province in the Cajamarca region....
and the northern part of
La Libertad RegionLa Libertad is a region in northwestern Peru. Formerly it was known as the 'Department of La Libertad" , a political division that generally corresponds to a state in the United States of America...
. The axis of development moved from the
Pima cottonGossypium barbadense, also known as extra long staple cotton as it generally has a staple of at least 1 3/8" or longer, is a species of cotton plant. Some types of ELS cotton are American Pima, Egyptian Giza, Indian Suvin, Chinese Xiniang, Sudanese Barakat, and Russian Tonkovoloknistyi...
,
sugarcaneSugarcane refers to any of six to 37 species of tall perennial grasses of the genus Saccharum . Native to the warm temperate to tropical regions of South Asia, they have stout, jointed, fibrous stalks that are rich in sugar, and measure two to six metres tall...
, and
riceRice is the seed of the monocot plants Oryza sativa or Oryza glaberrima . As a cereal grain, it is the most important staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and the West Indies...
plantations to the large city. In addition, Chimbote was a natural exit
channelIn physical geography, a channel is the physical confine of a river, slough or ocean strait consisting of a bed and banks.A channel is also the natural or human-made deeper course through a reef, sand bar, bay, or any shallow body of water...
for the exports of the
Santa valleyThe Santa Province is one of twenty provinces of the Ancash Region in Peru.The city and port of Santa are located in the large, fertile valleys of the Santa and Lacramarca rivers. These valleys have extensive sown plains with cotton, rice, sugar and nutritional products...
, and a starting point for the entry to the
Callejón de HuaylasThe Santa Valley is a inter-andean valley in the Ancash Region in the north-central highlands of Peru. Due to its location between two mountain ranges it is known as Callejón de Huaylas —Alley of Huaylas—, whereas Huaylas refers to the name of the territorial division's name during the Viceroyalty...
.
The Peruvian anchoveta
boomA credit boom-bust cycle is an episode characterized by a sustained increase in several economics indicators followed by a sharp and rapid contraction. Commonly the boom is driven by a rapid expansion of credit to the private sector accompanied with rising prices of commodities and stock market index...
created wealth in the city, but it soon ended due to indiscriminate
fishingFishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
that overwhelmed the bio-mass. An
earthquakeAn earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. The seismicity, seismism or seismic activity of an area refers to the frequency, type and size of earthquakes experienced over a period of time...
in 1970 damaged to the facilities of the
fishing industriesThe fishing industry includes any industry or activity concerned with taking, culturing, processing, preserving, storing, transporting, marketing or selling fish or fish products....
, causing
unemploymentUnemployment , as defined by the International Labour Organization, occurs when people are without jobs and they have actively sought work within the past four weeks...
and
impoverishmentPoverty is the lack of a certain amount of material possessions or money. Absolute poverty or destitution is inability to afford basic human needs, which commonly includes clean and fresh water, nutrition, health care, education, clothing and shelter. About 1.7 billion people are estimated to live...
. During this period, the Diocese of Chimbote created the Social Welfare Commission, to organize diverse popular dining places in conjunction with Unicef.In 2004, the
Roman Catholic Diocese of PittsburghThe Roman Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh is a Roman Catholic diocese. It was established in Western Pennsylvania on August 11, 1843. The diocese includes 211 parishes in the counties of Allegheny, Beaver, Butler, Greene, Lawrence, and Washington, an area of with a Catholic population of 719,801...
raised funds for the Chimbote Mission through the Chimbote Foundation.
Tourism
Chimbote is surrounded by two natural bays, the Bay of Chimbote (or Ferrol) and the Bay of Samanco, both with excellent
harborA harbor or harbour , or haven, is a place where ships, boats, and barges can seek shelter from stormy weather, or else are stored for future use. Harbors can be natural or artificial...
conditions. Chimbote forms a
conurbationA conurbation is a region comprising a number of cities, large towns, and other urban areas that, through population growth and physical expansion, have merged to form one continuous urban and industrially developed area...
with
Nuevo Chimbote DistrictNuevo Chimbote District is one of nine districts of the province Santa in Peru.-References:...
to the south. Between these districts, the Humedales de Villa María, a
swampA swamp is a wetland with some flooding of large areas of land by shallow bodies of water. A swamp generally has a large number of hammocks, or dry-land protrusions, covered by aquatic vegetation, or vegetation that tolerates periodical inundation. The two main types of swamp are "true" or swamp...
, is home to a local species of
heronThe herons are long-legged freshwater and coastal birds in the family Ardeidae. There are 64 recognised species in this family. Some are called "egrets" or "bitterns" instead of "heron"....
, along with many species of
frogFrogs are amphibians in the order Anura , formerly referred to as Salientia . Most frogs are characterized by a short body, webbed digits , protruding eyes and the absence of a tail...
s and fish. The swamp is formed by the
Lacramarca RiverLacramarca River is a river that flows through the Santa Province of Peru....
.
To the south of the city, there are many beaches, such as Vesique, Los Chimús, Tortugas, Caleta Colorada and el Dorado. Also located near Chimbote is the Isla Blanca (
white isle, in English), which takes its name from the white color of the ground. Isla Blanca measures approximately 3200 metres (10,498.7 ft) in length and 920 metres (3,018.4 ft) in width, and reaches 204 metres (669.3 ft) above sea level.
Located next to the city is the Cerro de la Juventud (Mountain of Youth), also called Cerro de la Paz (Mountain of Peace). Since 1985, this tourist attraction attracts hundreds annually. Visitors appreciate a panoramic view of Chimbote's bay from the top of this mountain. Tourists can also visit Isla Blanca Boulevard, which has many beautiful marble sculptures and fountains.
From Chimbote, some short tourist circuits can be taken:
- Chimbote - Casma
Casma is a city in the Ancash Region, Peru. It is located in the Casma Valley. Its surface has 1 204,85 km².Its people venerate saint Santa Maria Magdalena and its day is celebrated on July 22....
- Sechín - Yaután
- Chimbote - Nepeña
Nepeña District is one of nine districts of the province Santa in Peru.-References:...
- San Jacinto - Moro -Jimbe
- Chimbote - Santa
The Santa Province is one of twenty provinces of the Ancash Region in Peru.The city and port of Santa are located in the large, fertile valleys of the Santa and Lacramarca rivers. These valleys have extensive sown plains with cotton, rice, sugar and nutritional products...
- HuallancaThe Huallanca District is the most northeastern of the 10 districts that comprise Huaylas Province in the Ancash Region of Peru. It is in the high mountain range known as Cordillera Negra...
Chimbote has two important celebrations during the year: Holy Week and The Festivity of San Pedrito of Chimbote (also called
Chimbote's Civic Anniversary).
The city is known for its
cevicheCeviche is a seafood dish popular in the coastal regions of the Americas, especially Central and South America. The dish is typically made from fresh raw fish marinated in citrus juices such as lemon or lime and spiced with chilli peppers. Additional seasonings such as onion, salt,...
, a popular Peruvian dish whose ingredients include
white fishWhitefish or white fish is a fisheries term referring to several species of demersal fish with fins, particularly cod , whiting , and haddock , but also hake , pollock , or others...
,
octopusThe octopus is a cephalopod mollusc of the order Octopoda. Octopuses have two eyes and four pairs of arms, and like other cephalopods they are bilaterally symmetric. An octopus has a hard beak, with its mouth at the center point of the arms...
,
seashellA seashell or sea shell, also known simply as a shell, is a hard, protective outer layer created by an animal that lives in the sea. The shell is part of the body of the animal. Empty seashells are often found washed up on beaches by beachcombers...
,
squidSquid are cephalopods of the order Teuthida, which comprises around 300 species. Like all other cephalopods, squid have a distinct head, bilateral symmetry, a mantle, and arms. Squid, like cuttlefish, have eight arms arranged in pairs and two, usually longer, tentacles...
,
crabTrue crabs are decapod crustaceans of the infraorder Brachyura, which typically have a very short projecting "tail" , or where the reduced abdomen is entirely hidden under the thorax...
, and
red hot pepperCapsicum annuum is a domesticated species of the plant genus Capsicum native to southern North America and northern South America. The three species C. annuum, C. frutescens and C. chinense all evolved from a single common ancestor located somewhere in the northwest Brazil - Colombia area...
.
Transportation
The Chimbote-
HuallancaHuallanca may refer to the following:*Huallanca District, Bolognesi - a district in the Bolognesi Province of the Ancash Region in Peru*Huallanca District, Huaylas - a district in the Huaylas Province of the Ancash Region in Peru...
rail line, built in 1922, serves as a railway for
coalCoal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
and
ironIron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. It is a metal in the first transition series. It is the most common element forming the planet Earth as a whole, forming much of Earth's outer and inner core. It is the fourth most common element in the Earth's crust...
mines on the interior and a railway for the river valley by transporting
riceRice is the seed of the monocot plants Oryza sativa or Oryza glaberrima . As a cereal grain, it is the most important staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and the West Indies...
,
cottonCotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....
,
sugarcaneSugarcane refers to any of six to 37 species of tall perennial grasses of the genus Saccharum . Native to the warm temperate to tropical regions of South Asia, they have stout, jointed, fibrous stalks that are rich in sugar, and measure two to six metres tall...
, and
bananaBanana is the common name for herbaceous plants of the genus Musa and for the fruit they produce. Bananas come in a variety of sizes and colors when ripe, including yellow, purple, and red....
s.
Bus Terminal
El Chimbador Bus Terminal is Chimbote's primary ground transportation facility. The bus terminal is located outside of the city. It has become a vital connection for the region's workers, travelers and visitors, serving nearly 6,000 passengers a day. Currently there are 30 bus carriers offering services for national and international travel.
The Port
The port of Chimbote is one of the most beautiful and safest ports in the
Peruvian coastThe Chala or "Coast" is one of the eight natural regions in Peru. It is formed by all the western lands that arise from sea level up to the height of 500 meters....
. It extends 12 kilometres (7.5 mi), from Caleta Colorada Bay (Red Creek Bay) in the north, where the present marine facilities are located, to Anconcillo in the south.
Airport
The city is served by the
Teniente FAP Jaime Montreuil Morales AirportTeniente FAP Jaime Montreuil Morales Airport is an airport serving Chimbote, Peru. It is an important airport in the Ancash Region. It is operated by the civil government and handles many government planes. It will be served by LC Busre since March 15. The airport is rather small compared to the...
, operated by CORPAC S.A. It was created in 1957 under the government of President
Manuel Prado UgartecheManuel Prado y Ugarteche was a Peruvian banker and political figure. Son of former president, Mariano Ignacio Prado, he was born in Lima and served as the President of Peru twice, from 1939 until 1945 and again between 1956 and 1962...
. There are regular flights to Lima by
LC BusreLC Busre is an airline based in Lima, Peru. It operates scheduled domestic flights. Its main base is Jorge Chávez International Airport .- Destinations :LC Busre currently flies to these destinations:* Andahuaylas - Andahuaylas Airport...
.
Sister cities
Pensacola, FL, since 1964, through the efforts of Captain Harold Grow.
See also
- 1970 Ancash earthquake
The 1970 Ancash earthquake or Great Peruvian Earthquake was an undersea earthquake that occurred on May 31 of that year. Combined with a resultant landslide, it was the worst catastrophic natural disaster ever recorded in the history of Peru....